Peru's Massive Illegal Logging Industry

The murder of indigenous activists is drawing attention to the massive trade in illegal forest products from Peru. The vast majority of logging activities in the country are illegal. Although Peru has a large rainforest current rates of illegal logging are unsustainable.

According to a 2012 World Bank report, as much as 80 percent of Peru’s logging exports are harvested illegally. Sophisticated wood laundering schemes help to bring this wood to international markets. This involves doctored papers that make the wood appear legal.

The US is among the nations that buy this illegal timber. According to a 2012 report by the Environmental Investigation Agency, at least 40 percent of cedar exports to the US include illegally logged timber. The wood from a single old-growth mahogany tree can earn more than $11,000 on the US lumber market.

Arbor Day: A Time to Acknowledge the Vital Importance of Trees

As a celebration of trees Arbor Day is an important event, particularly in the context of ongoing forest degradation. The loss of forests are even more alarming in light of our growing awareness of the importance of trees to planetary health. Trees provide oxygen for us to breathe and they sequester carbon thereby combating climate change. We are also coming to a better understanding of the ways in which trees regulate our climate and combat drought.

Arbor Day was founded by J. Sterling Morton in 1872. As secretary of agriculture in Grover Cleveland’s second administration, Morton was a stalwart tree advocate for trees, as he explained “Other holidays repose upon the past; Arbor Day proposes for the future.”

Video - Sustainable Forest: How Grey County Forests Try to Manage Conservation and Economic Activity

Grey County forests help us conserve important natural habitats while also providing significant economic impact and serving as hubs for recreational activity. Working with OSC Media House, Grey County is creating a series of videos to share the magic of "Our Forest." The "Our Forest" videos will tell the story of our forests by sharing the history of our landscape, demonstrating how we manage our forests and sharing the knowledge of the people who act as stewards of our remarkable natural assets.

Video - Forests = Life

Forests are essential for the survival of people everywhere. They nurture us, inspire us and shelter us. They are also at the heart of sustainable development. In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly declared 21 March as the International Day of Forests to "celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests and of trees outside forests".

A Visual Representation of Global Forest Change

The University of Maryland has assembled a global forest map from a time series analysis of 654,178 Landsat images. These images span the years 2000 to 2012.

This map offers a convincing visual representation of recent deforestation.
 
To view the interactive map click here.

The Business of Forests: Primer, Tool, Guide and Best Practices

Here are two resources for responsible forest management. The first is a primer, comprehensive guide and resource kit from the Rainforest Alliance on sustainable forest management. The second  focuses on best practices from the nonprofit group, the Center for Sustainable Development (CSD). This group specializes in providing sound, evidence-based information, tools and training for humanitarian development professionals worldwide.

The Business of Responsible Forest Stewardship

Businesses have an essential role to play in forest conservation. A number of companies are developing policies for sustainable forest management. For the last few years companies like Lego, Mattel and Hasbro have been engaged in responsible forest stewardship focusing on efforts to stop using unsustainable paper products from Indonesian rainforests.

A sustainable forest industry is in the collective best interest as wood and related industries are big business accounting for nearly 1 percent of global gross domestic product. The non-monetary benefits from forests, such as water, energy, shelter and medicine, are estimated to be two to three times as great.

As revealed in the 2013 fourth annual Forest Footprint Disclosure (FFD) Report, companies like Colgate-Palmolive, Groupe Danone, Gucci and Heinz are now disclosing their forest footprints.

The FFD report acknowledged improvements in reporting from a number of other companies including Boots UK, Next, Kingspan Group and Whitbread Group. According to the FFD there has been a 15 percent increase in the number of companies that voluntarily disclose their forest footprints between 2012 and 2013.

Woodland Crops: Sustainable Harvests from Forests

Forests are most commonly identified as a source of wood and associated products but very few realize that they are also home to a host of woodland crops. Aboriginal people have known about the vast array of uses for forests dating back to antiquity. The growing importance of sustainability may well prove to be a catalyst advancing the growth of woodland farming. Collecting the forest's bounty (wildcrafting) is different than woodland farming which involves larger production volumes.

The wonderful thing about woodland crops is that rather than cut down trees they need the dappled light provided by the forest canopy to grow. Getting involved with woodland farming generally involves thinning out the forests and opening up the understory. While almost any shade-tolerant plant or fungus will grow in a wooded setting, it is always best to work with species of flora that are indigenous to the area you are farming. 

Managing Deforestation Through Policy and Monitoring

When combined with the right policies, new monitoring capabilities may significantly enhance our capacity to manage forests. As an homage to the International Day of Forests on March 21, here is a review of forest management policy recommendations and new global monitoring solutions. 

After a United Nations General Assembly resolution in 2012, the International Day of Forests was observed for the first time in 2013. The day is meant to acknowledge forests, trees and climate change. On this day, people raise awareness about the value of arboreal ecosystems and they explore the different ways that we can protect them. The day is specifically designed to incorporate forests into future climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.

International Day of Forests 2014

"As we deliberate on the post-2015 development agenda, let us acknowledge the vital role of forests and pledge to work together to protect and sustainably manage these vital ecosystems."

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Message for the 2014 International Day of Forests

This global celebration of forests provides a platform to raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests and of trees outside forests.

Forests for Sustainable Development: UNHQ Special Event on the International Day of Forests

On March 21, from 10am to 1pm, The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber will host an event that will be chaired by Mr Thomas Gass, Assistant Secretary-General, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. It will feature a keynote speech by Ms Susana Malcorra, Under-Secretary-General, Chef de Cabinet, Executive Office of the Secretary-General.

The theme of the event is Celebrating Forests for Sustainable Development, and will include a Panel discussion on “Women as agents of change for forests and sustainable development” with inspiring speakers from forest heroes to film makers, as well as award-winning short films. The event will conclude with a general discussion.

Global Deforestation/Reforestation and Climate Change

Forests provide priceless ecological, economic, social and health benefits yet they are currently being decimated at a rate of 13 million hectares annually. This is about more than habitat loss for animals, plants and insects or even the livelihoods of one quarter of the world's population. Deforestation is also a leading cause of climate change. Forests account for 12 to 20 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.

Video - Deforestation: Through the Lens of Time Lapse Photography

It is sometimes hard to appreciate the scope of deforestation though the medium of mathematical summaries. This video captures just how quickly we are losing forests in the Amazon, often described as the Earth's lungs.

Event - Ontario Forestry Association's 65th annual conference

The Ontario Forestry Association's 65th annual conference will take place on Friday Feb 21, 2014, from 8:00am - 4:00pm at the Nottawasaga Inn, Alliston, Ontario. This conference will explore forest communities in Ontario - the communities of forests, animals and people, and how they are adapting to change and thriving.

Video - Could 300 Billion Worth of Trees Remediate Climate Change?

"We know that we are living in a way that is unsustainable," says Sir Tim Smit, Co-founder of the Eden Project in Cornwall. Smit wonders whether $300 billion US dollars worth of trees planted across the sub-Saharan latitudes and into India could be sufficient to remediate climate change.

Event - Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Recruitment

Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Recruitment event will take place on Wednesday October 30, 2013, in Vancouver, BC. Admissions officers and alums will be present to answer questions about our Masters and Doctoral programs in Forestry & the Environment, the admissions process, and what it is like to be a student. Specializations at F&ES include: ecology, water resources management, forestry & land use, climate change, energy, business & the environment, policy, human dimensions of the environment, and many more!

For more information and to RSVP click here.

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2012 Review of Forests and Trees
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Study Shows Deforestation of Tropical Rainforest Decreases Precipitation
Study Shows that Climate Change is Killing Forests
Using Trees for Electricity is Not Green Energy
What The Business Community Can Do To Protect Forests
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The Lacey Act Combats Illegal Logging
Challenge to the Lacey Act
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Training - Proforest Annual Programme 2013 in Ghana

The 12th edition of the Proforest Annual Training Programme will take place in Ghana the week of the 25th of November. As with all previous editions, the programme will provide comprehensive training on the latest sustainability issues in natural resource management and on tools to promote responsible production and purchasing in forestry and agricultural supply chains.

The Vital Role of Forests: Carbon, Rain and Food

We are coming to a better understanding of the vital role that forests play in the general health of planetary ecosystems.  However, alongside our burgeoning awareness, we are also destroying forests in our quest for more land and lumber.

Deforestation is eliminating the Earth’s forests on a massive scale. Each day at least 80,000 acres (32,300 ha) of forest disappear and another 80,000 acres (32,300 ha) of forest are degraded. Overall, FAO estimates that 10.4 million hectares of tropical forest were permanently destroyed each year in the period from 2000 to 2005. About an acre of tropical rainforests are lost every second. If the current trend continues, the world’s rainforests could completely vanish in a hundred years.

Event - Urban Forests & Political Ecologies Conference 2013: Celebrating Transdisciplinarity

This event will take place April 18 - 20, 2013 at Hart House, University of Toronto, 7 Hart House Circle, Hoskin Avenue and Queen's Park Crescent West. It will be held in Toronto and is presented by the Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto.

Registration is now open! On Conference days, registration opens at 7:30am. Along with the Conference itself on April 18th and 19, 2013 from 8:30am-5:00pm in Hart House's Great Hall, there is an art exhibit running simultaneously in the East Common Room.

Festivities also include a Networking Soiree on April 18th from 7-10pm at the Panorama Lounge at $30, and on April 20, 2013, field tours of the Humber Arboretum & Centre for Urban Ecology, and the Alternative Campus Tour at York University at $35. Cost Information: Full Registration - $375; One Day Registration: - $200; Full Student Registration - $150; Networking Soiree - $30; Field Tours - $35

For more information and to register:
Email: a.veneziano@utoronto.ca
Phone: 416-978-5480

Related Articles
NASA Imagery Shows Trees are Dying in US Forests
Infographic - Forests and Land Use
2012 Review of Forests and Trees
The Economic and Employment Benefits of Forests
Study Shows Deforestation of Tropical Rainforest Decreases Precipitation
Study Shows that Climate Change is Killing Forests
What The Business Community Can Do To Protect Forests
The Costs of Illegal Logging
The Lacey Act Combats Illegal Logging
Video: Reducing Emissions Through Forest Preservation with REDD

Event - OFA Annual Conference: Our Working Forest

The OFA Annual Conference - Our Working Forest will take place on Friday Feb 8th 2013, in Alliston, Ontario. The 64th Annual Ontario Forestry Association Conference will be exploring the theme of "Our Working Forest".